President Muhammadu Buhari has said that more than N3.7 billion and various other assets worth billions of naira have been recovered from former directors and contractors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Disclosing this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the NDDC Advisory Committee, held at the Executive Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja, President Buhari said the recoveries were made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies.
It would be recalled that the President had last year ordered a forensic audit of the accounts and operations of the interventionist agency and had late 2019 ratified the constitution of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to oversee the ordered forensic audit.
According to a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the President, the President said assets worth more than N6 billion have been placed under lien by government agencies.
‘‘To date, the EFCC and other agencies of Government have recovered over N3.7billion in cash as well as various assets worth billions of Naira from some contractors and former Directors of the Commission.
‘‘Furthermore, I am told that government agencies have placed liens on over N6 billion of assets which are being investigated,” he said.
The President told the committee that these abuses of the past clearly show the need for strict and diligent oversight, going forward.
President Buhari recalled that in 2016, his administration launched the “New Vision for the Niger Delta (NEVIND)”, aimed at bringing sustainable peace, security, infrastructure and human capital development to the region.
He said the medium to achieve this noble objective was through the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, NDDC and the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
The President, however, expressed regret that in the past these institutions were unable to deliver their mandates due to mismanagement.
‘‘As a result, the people of the Niger Delta were left with abandoned infrastructural projects and substandard social programmes which were designed to improve their living conditions.
‘‘It is to reverse this trend that I approved, in February 2020, the constitution of a 10-Man Presidential Monitoring Committee (PMC) as provided for in Section 21 of the NDDC Establishment Act.’’
He noted that the PMC, which will be chaired by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and its members drawn from various MDAs, will focus on monitoring the operations and activities of the commission, and will be reporting to him.
Justifying the decision to inaugurate the Committee ahead of the reconstitution of the NDDC Board, President Buhari said:
‘‘This is to enable us develop insights into the affairs of the Commission which will properly guide the Board when reconstituted once the Forensic Audit exercise on the Commission is concluded.
‘‘You may recall that the Federal Executive Council, on 5th of February, 2020 approved the appointment of the Lead Forensic Auditors. I am told they are concluding their pre-engagement activities and should be ready to commence work soon’’.
Speaking on behalf of the members of the Advisory Committee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State thanked the President for inaugurating the Committee and granting the request of the governors, from the region, for a forensic audit of the NDDC.
Underscoring the roles of the Advisory Committee, the Delta State Governor noted that for sustainable development of the region, the NDDC must perform its duties in close collaboration with the States to avoid duplication of projects.
‘‘We do not want to criticise what has happened in the NDDC for quite some time, but the fact is that the cooperation between the states and the NDDC has not been strengthened overtime and we have various cases of duplication of projects that are not properly planned.
‘‘But I believe that with the inauguration of this body we will be able to sit down, meet together, work in collaboration and supportively to bring greater developments to our people,’’ he said.
Membership of the Advisory Committee, as provided in Part III, Section 11(1a) is comprised as follows: Governors of the member States of the Commission (9States of the Niger Delta Region) and two persons determined by the President, which in this circumstance are the Ministers of the Niger Delta Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Environment.
